I’ve written a book!

Shortly after the CKW inquest ended in June 2022, a friend – himself a well-established political author and journalist – asked me if I had ever considered writing a book about intimate partner violence. Indeed I had, many times. But, always, something intervened that stopped me from doing anything more than thinking about it: more immediate work that needed my attention (and that would generate income), personal crises of one sort or another and, always, a lack of confidence. Sure, I had written a lot over the years, but never anything longer than a dozen or so pages. A book seemed a much more daunting undertaking.

Fortunately for me, my friend was persistent, and encouraged me to submit a book proposal to Between the Lines Books. It felt like a good fit. BTL is an unabashedly social movement press that describes itself as “proudly leftwing.” Its aim is to “amplify the struggles of Black, Indigenous, and racialized communities; migrants; women; queer folks; and working class people” with authors who “hope their books will spark political and social change.”

I had about 10 days after I returned home from my three weeks at the inquest in Renfrew County before I had to leave for the Mass Casualty Commission hearings in Halifax, and the pressure was on to produce a proposal, since an editorial board meeting was coming up. With much assistance, and a fair bit of aspirational thinking, I sent off the proposal and a writing sample.

Two weeks later, while I was standing in line for an ice-cream cone on a hot, Halifax evening, I got a call from the BTL managing editor letting me know that my proposal had been accepted.

I was going to write a book!

The joys of writing

Having a book contract was pretty exciting, but I had to figure out how I would find the time to actually write it. I applied for a few grants, hoping I could take some time away from my paid work to write, but none of my applications was successful. I would have to fit my book writing around my already-full days of income-generating work. Quickly, I learned that writing in bits and pieces while doing my paid job was not going to work, so I blocked a week a month free from anything other than book writing.

When that didn’t provide me with the space I needed to really focus on the book, I rented a small apartment in Picton for one week a month. There, for the next few months, I retreated from all demands on my time other than the book and wrote and wrote and wrote.

It was a fantastic experience, one I feel very privileged to have had. The solitude was exactly what I needed. I wrote for a couple of hours first thing every day, took a break to go for a long walk, then came back and wrote for several more hours. I checked email, phone and text messages late in the day when the creative part of my brain was starting to slow down; although some days, I wrote on into the evening, with no expectations on my time other than those I set for myself.

I was not a tortured or tormented writer. The truth is that I absolutely loved the process of book writing from start to finish. And, as the word count began to mount, I started to think that perhaps others might love reading what I was writing.

It’s almost done!

I submitted my completed manuscript to BTL in the late fall of 2023, and spent the early months of this year working with a wonderful and very skilled editor to make the book as good as it could be. Meanwhile, a release date of late November  2024 was set, BTL staff worked with me to come up with a title, and the design and production manager developed possible cover designs, while other team members began to put together promotion and sales strategies. Last week, I received the final proofs so I could do one final read to catch any lingering errors.

Although the book’s release date is not until November 26^th, work is well underway to promote it. It has its own website, where people can pre-order copies. I encourage you to do this, so BTL gets a sense of demand for the book and can decide on an adequate print run.

A publicist has been hired, and I’ve been working hard with violence against women organizations, mostly in Ontario, to set up a book tour for late November/early December.

As the BTL promotional material for And Sometimes They Kill You: Confronting the Epidemic of Intimate Partner Violence says:

“After working for three decades with survivors, frontline workers, and the legal systems they turn to for help, Pamela Cross provides an in-depth look at IPV in Canada. And Sometimes They Kill You: Confronting the Epidemic of Intimate Partner Violence untangles what IPV is, the barriers to its eradication, and what we could all be doing to eliminate those barriers. Told in an engaging and accessible fashion, And Sometimes They Kill You weaves together Cross’s personal experiences and reflections on what she has learned with the powerful stories of victims, survivors, and the alarming but convincing data. Cross offers practical and hopeful ideas for how each of us can engage in the vital work of eradicating IPV.

“This is a call to action for the all-of-society, revolutionary response to gender-based violence needed to build communities that are safe and healthy for everyone.”